The disclosed embodiments relate to wireless devices and wireless communication networks, and more particularly, to apparatus and methods for remote service programming of a wireless device on a wireless network.
Wireless networking connects one or more wireless devices to other computer devices without a direct electrical connection, such as a copper wire or optical cable. Wireless devices communicate data, typically in the form of packets, across a wireless or partially wireless computer network and open a “data” or “communication” channel on the network such that the device can send and receive data packets. The wireless devices often have wireless device resources, such as programs and hardware components, which individually and cooperatively operate to use and generate data in accordance to their design and specific protocol or configuration, such as using open communication connections to transmit and receive data on the network.
The operation of these wireless devices depends on many settings and profiles retained within persistent storage, referred to herein as persistent storage (PS) items. Persistent storage items comprise data that remains in a memory on the wireless device for each time the wireless device is started or re-started. Persistent storage items may be stored in many different locations on a wireless device, e.g. read-only memory, flash memory, subscriber identity module (SIM), universal subscriber identity module (U-SIM), a file system, a remote file system, etc., or even at a network device located across the wireless network where the persistent storage items would be accessible to the wireless device. Some examples of these persistent storage items are network preferred roaming list, transmission strength, a user's telephone book, and mobile directory number.
Many groups need to retrieve or change the values of persistent storage data, e.g. the users of the wireless devices, the network service providers, the wireless device manufacturers, and the developers of software applications for the wireless devices.
Currently manufacturers of wireless devices often write their own applications for changing the persistent storage data. This can be expensive and often the manufacturers write their applications with different user interfaces, which can make it difficult for the various groups of people that need to retrieve or change persistent storage items to learn the various user interfaces that the manufacturers write. Further, often the applications written by the manufacturers require being run on a separate computer device that is directly connected to the wireless device. This can cause many problems, for example, because manufacturer's items may need to be changed or set when the wireless device is purchased, e.g. the mobile directory number needs to be set. The sales representative of the wireless device must then learn to operate all the user interfaces from all the different manufacturers and often must attach the wireless device to another computing device.
Many problems with wireless devices experienced by end-users may be traced to incorrect settings of these persistent storage data items. If a user of a wireless device experiences connectivity and/or operational problems, then often the solution requires the user to bring or mail the wireless device to a service center for a diagnostic analysis and the corresponding correction of the persistent storage item(s).
Such a requirement is often burdensome for users, and it does not allow the manufacturers, network service providers, or the developers of software to easily change the persistent storage items. This can be a very serious problem as the values in the persistent storage items may need to change to reflect changes that have occurred in the service providers' networks, either in the software or the hardware. Additionally, the service providers may find more optimal setting for the wireless devices, but are unable to load the settings onto the wireless devices without great effort. Further, this lack of flexibility may make it very difficult for the software developers to modify their software for wireless devices that have already been sold.
Additionally, wireless devices with incorrect persistent storage item settings may affect the operation of other wireless devices and/or the wireless network. As such, a problem experienced by one end user may be compounded and affect the user satisfaction of many users, as well as cause operational problems for the wireless network service providers.
Updating the persistent storage items can be difficult as often the values of the persistent storage items are copied into a memory having a different speed than the original memory, or other items are derived from values of the persistent storage item when the wireless device is started or re-started or when software is installed on the wireless device.
Further, some wireless devices allow the user of the wireless device to modify the persistent storage data without entering a password. This can result in persistent storage items being set so that the wireless device can no longer communicate with the network or it can make it very difficult to troubleshoot the problem with the wireless device. Further, some wireless devices allow service people or programs to access confidential persistent storage items on a wireless device such as the personal telephone directory of the user without entering a password.
Thus, improved apparatus and methods are desired to service the connectivity and operational performance of wireless devices on a wireless network relating to the persistent storage items.